5 Bellator champions who made memorable debuts in the UFC feat. Michael Chandler & Ben Askren

Last week it was announced that former Bellator lightweight and featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull had signed with the UFC. The Brazilian will debut in April against Yair Rodriguez.

Patricio Pitbull will be the latest in a long line of Bellator champions to make their way to the UFC, and a number of them made memorable octagon debuts.

Whether Pitbull will make the same kind of impact as his predecessors remains to be seen, but based on his career thus far, there's a good chance he will.

For now, though, here are five Bellator champions who made memorable debuts in the UFC.

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#5. Eddie Alvarez vs. Donald Cerrone - UFC 178

The inaugural Bellator lightweight champion, Eddie Alvarez was already recognised as one of the world's best 155 pounders when he claimed that title in 2009.

'The Underground King' had defeated the likes of Tatsuya Kawajiri and Joachim Hansen in Japan's DREAM promotion, and UFC fans often dreamed about how he'd fare in the octagon.

However, it'd be another five years before he made the jump, during which time he beat the likes of Patricky Pitbull and Shinya Aoki, and lost his title to Michael Chandler before regaining it.

Eventually, Alvarez was able to sign with the UFC in 2014, and made his long-awaited debut in a wild-sounding fight with Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone.

The fight lived up to the hype, as Alvarez came out swinging and almost took Cerrone out in the first round, only for 'Cowboy' to come back and chop him down with low kicks.

'The Underground King' lost the bout via decision, but he gained plenty of new fans in the process thanks to his memorable performance.

More importantly, he followed the defeat with a winning streak, culminating in winning the lightweight title in 2016 - making him the only Bellator champion to go onto hold gold in the UFC too.

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#4. Joe Soto vs. TJ Dillashaw - UFC 177

The only former Bellator champion to debut in the octagon in a title fight is the promotion's inaugural featherweight titleholder, Joe Soto. Of course, that makes the situation sound far more glamorous than it actually was.

Soto hadn't been Bellator champion for nearly four years before he moved to the UFC, having been dethroned by Joe Warren in 2010. In fact, that fight had been his final one in Bellator, and he'd been competing on the regional scene since.

When Soto got the call, then, it was to face off with the unheralded Anthony Birchak in a preliminary bout at UFC 177.

However, circumstances changed. Renan Barao, who was scheduled to face TJ Dillashaw for the bantamweight title in the headliner, was unexpectedly forced out after knocking himself out during his weight cut.

That left the promotion in a hole, and with Soto the most experienced bantamweight competing elsewhere on the card, he suddenly found himself elevated into a title fight in a pay-per-view main event.

It was a huge opportunity for him, but unsurprisingly, he couldn't quite pull it off. The former Bellator champ was outclassed by Dillashaw, and eventually fell by TKO in the fifth round.

His memorable showing hinted at a bright future in the octagon, but that never really came either. Soto ended up going 3-5 in the promotion before departing in 2018.

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#3. Hector Lombard vs. Tim Boetsch - UFC 149

The first big name to jump from Bellator to the UFC was inaugural middleweight champ Hector Lombard, who made the move in 2012.

Unfortunately, the Cuban's octagon debut turned out to be memorable for all the wrong reasons.

Riding a huge 25-fight unbeaten streak, 'Lightning' was seen as a wrecking machine throughout his Bellator tenure, destroying anyone put in front of him. Many fans even questioned who would win if he were to face then-UFC 185 pound kingpin Anderson Silva.

Lombard didn't face Silva in his debut, though, instead being matched with the highly ranked Tim Boetsch. A win probably would've netted him a title shot.

Of course, that wasn't to be. 'Lightning' looked terrible, losing a decison to Boetsch in what was widely considered one of the worst fights of 2012.

The result was a harbinger of what was to come. Lombard won just three fights in the octagon, and washed out of the promotion in 2018 on the back of a six-fight losing streak. Many fans now consider him one of the biggest busts in octagon history.

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#2. Ben Askren vs. Robbie Lawler - UFC 235

The Bellator champion who took the longest route to the octagon was undoubtedly Ben Askren.

'Funky' downed Lyman Good to claim the Bellator welterweight title in late 2010, and went onto defend his title successfully on four occasions.

With a slick grappling game based around his world-class wrestling, Askren looked like one of the best 170 pounders in the world, even if his striking was a bit questionable.

When his Bellator contract expired in 2013, then, it seemed like a no-brainer that he'd move to the UFC. Incredibly, though, Dana White just wasn't interested.

Reportedly, White believed Askren's wrestling-heavy style to be dull to watch, even though, for the most part, that wasn't really the case.

At any rate, 'Funky' moved to ONE Championship and kept on winning, taking his record to an impressive 18-0 by late 2017 before seemingly hanging up his gloves.

It came as a massive shock a year later, then, when it was suddenly announced that the UFC had "traded" former flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson to ONE, with Askren moving the other way.

In a debut a lot of fans thought they'd never seen, 'Funky' took on Robbie Lawler in early 2019, and the result was an absolute thriller.

'Ruthless' slammed Askren to the ground early on and blitzed him with strikes, seemingly having him on the verge of a TKO win. Remarkably, though, the former Bellator star survived, and managed to catch Lawler in a bulldog choke, causing referee Herb Dean to call a semi-controversial stoppage.

Not only had Askren won his debut, then, he'd done so in exciting and memorable fashion - proving White's suspicions wrong.

Of course, that turned out to be the high point for 'Funky'. He was left on the wrong end of a highlight reel knockout by Jorge Masvidal in his second bout and then retired for good following another loss to Demian Maia.

Regardless, though, Askren still made the most of his octagon debut, and produced one of the best fights of 2019 in the process.

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#1. Michael Chandler vs. Dan Hooker - UFC 257

The most memorable octagon debut from a Bellator champion came in 2021, when Michael Chandler stepped into the big leagues for the first time.

'Iron Mike' was a three-time Bellator lightweight champion, fighting in wars with the likes of Eddie Alvarez, Benson Henderson, and Patricio Pitbull during his time in the promotion.

His hard-hitting style, coupled with his powerful wrestling background made him a fighter that UFC fans had coveted for some time. When he was finally signed in 2020, then, anticipation for his debut was high.

It's safe to say that Chandler did not let anyone down. Matched with tough contender Dan Hooker, 'Iron Mike' needed just half a round to make his mark.

He landed a leaping left hook to put 'The Hangman' down, and then pounced with follow-up strikes to finish the fight.

It was one of the most explosive octagon debuts of all time, and thanks to a charismatic post-fight promo, he was quickly established as a major star.

In the years that have followed, Chandler has continued to fight in thrillers. While he hasn't won a title yet, he remains one of the most recognizable and popular fighters in the UFC.